A Tat for a Tit? -- Part 3

-3-

"Phase 1 set into motion"
"Any replies?"
"Not yet. But let us hope that she doesn’t reply" Rudra was honestly earnest. He knew Abhi. He knew that Abhi was indeed head over heels for this girl but he is also a fool. Rudra had explained that Rima wanted what was known as a "One Night Stand" and was not interested in a long-term association. Abhi had repeatedly and categorically denied believing any of the "Crap". Crap or no crap that was the truth and if Abhi failed to see it, it will be difficult for him to believe that even this kind of a relationship existed. Abhi had yet to see a lot of life. Platonic love and that sort of thing do not exist any more. In this instant-age even love is a commercial object and could be contractually bound. Rudra had cited the instances of people living together and their views about it, but to no avail. Abhi was a fool and a person with values and ideals that were relevant twenty-thirty years back. Losing faith was always easy, Rudra knew, but keeping up with what you believe and trust is a difficult task.
Rudra took one last deep drag of the magical cigarette that cleared his thoughts and made things more coluorful around him. He had always reasoned with himself when he was high and that day it was no exception. He had been through a time when there was a huge transformation among the teens. A clubbing culture aping the west had sprung up almost overnight. He had seen the girls dressing skimpier day after day, getting more disreputable and snobbish. He had seen boys getting more desperate, less caring and having a more of give-it-a-damn types. Expectations all around were low in terms of fidelity and that was what was the culture all around. He must admit he was fortunate (or was he?) to have struck the right chord with the changing times without changing too much. He kind of had it in him all along… He had seen a lot of the life. With an impressive look he had been all the more "successful" with the fairer sex. He had been successful in negotiating all his associations with some unknown girl to finality. He did remembered all the girls who slept with him and there were numerous…but he never forgot the lesson it taught him… It was never easy giving up on the inhibition of engaging into an act that has no turning back, and Judge by your heart and you are a sucker… judge by your instincts and you could just survive… judge by your most deeply placed needs and you will reign!
Abhi was not only his brother but also his friend and that was the most disturbing factor behind this episode. Had this incident happened with anyone else, Rudra would not have cared. Rudra liked Abhi for his bold and honest outlook and secretly wished he could be like him… Perhaps if he had not lost his parents at an early age he too would have been like Abhi…bold, confident and straightforward… infused with all the moral values his parents would have lovingly taught him. It would be most unfortunate to see someone taking undue advantage of Abhi for he would go all out for someone he cared for, and that was one of the things that have landed him in this trouble. It was also another quality Rudra secretly admired. Rudra was not well liked by his other cousins for his dubious reputation but Abhi stood along with him all the way and even brought on unpleasant confrontations on him for Rudra’s sake.
Rudra came back to reality from his trance and thought about the situation in hand. This girl was twisting his brother and mate to go against his nature. This was intolerable. Rudra knew the kind of regret he had felt after his first real encounter with the neighbor’s daughter two years senior to him… He felt a pang of guilt and it was still there. Riddhimadi has married and is in Jamshedpur but on occasions he had met her since there had always been some moments of discomfort and awkwardness… He knew it was not very desirable… and he has no way now to undo what was done. He knew that not all the girls were the same and there are girls who thought differently. Rudra wished that Abhi would find someone like that. But now the situation was not as it should have been. He shifted his thought to the letter that he had e-mailed before calling up Abhi. He hoped that there would be a reply so that Abhi could realize the kind of mess he was in. At the same time he wished that Rima did not reply and his worse fears were for no reasons. It was like the horns of dilemma. If Rima did not reply that would tantamount to Abhi’s conviction that she was genuinely in love with him which Rudra could sense was not the fact, but if she replied … nothing would be left to imagination… He could then teach the tramp a lesson that she might never forget.